Tendons and ligaments constitute an essential part of the musculoskeletal system by connecting muscles to bones, and bones to bones respectively. Both tendons and ligaments are generated through the same differentiation process (Schweitzer, R. et al. Development, 2001 October; 128(19):3855-66). While a number of specific growth factors and transcription factors have been found to be involved in tenogenesis during development and repair processes, a detailed understanding of tendon pathologies is still in its infancy.
A review of tendon biology (Duprez D. et al., Nature, 2015, 11, 223-233) summarizes the advances made in tendon biology to date and highlights that there still remains a need for effective treatments of tendon injuries.
To date, the standard of care for tendon rupture is surgery while physiotherapy is being used for tendon degeneration.
Cell therapies and platelet rich plasma are amongst the approaches currently undergoing clinical trials for tendon injuries.